


California Dreamin'--Outtakes

by jenorama



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 16:55:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11166081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenorama/pseuds/jenorama
Summary: In the course of writing, things change because they don't work out.  I've assembled here a few scenes that were either changed or didn't make it into California Dreamin' at all.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into how things might have been.Be advised, these scenes are un-beta'd and there are likely grammatical and spelling errors.





	California Dreamin'--Outtakes

_I don’t really remember where this bit fit in previously. It’s before Ginny has the experience with the coin as they’re still in the small flat. I wrote this thinking of the times when one sees their teacher out and about, living their lives. I was never one of those kids that thought my teachers lived at the school, but it was still weird when I ran into one outside of the usual context. I remember I took it out because it seemed like it was bogging down the chapter, but I do like the bit between Harry and Ginny towards the end._

***  
Sitting outside in the warm sun with his eyes closed, Harry was surprised by a shout of, “Mr Potter!”

Opening his eyes, he saw one of his students running towards him, a seventh-grade boy with the curiously alliterative name of Robin Richards. “Robin,” Harry said with genuine surprise, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m here with my mom and dad,” he said, jerking his thumb behind him to indicate two adults that were looking in a shop window. “What are you doing here?”

“I was out for a run across the bridge and I thought I’d have some lunch.”

“You ran across the bridge?” Robin asked, eyes wide with amazement.

“I did,” Harry nodded, smiling at the boy’s artlessness. 

“Are you going to run back?”

Harry pursed his lips as if he were giving the matter serious thought. “I haven't decided yet. What do you think I should do?”

The boy looked at the bridge, considering. “I think you should Apparate back. Apparating is the coolest and I can’t wait until I can do it.” He turned his head at the sound of his mother calling his name. “I have to go. Bye!” he said with a wave, running back to his parents without a backward glance at Harry.

“See you Monday,” he said to the boy’s back, shaking his head. In the end, he decided to run back across the bridge after all. It was a beautiful day and it seemed like a shame to waste the good weather. Dodging tourists, he ran easily, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone acting unusual, the suicide hotline signs all over the bridge raising his awareness. 

Back in the Presidio, he found a quiet corner and Apparated back into the flat, surprising Ginny as she was burrowed in her nest of books, papers and computer on the bed, headphones in and blaring away. “Oh! You scared me with that bloody silent Apparating!” she said, hand on her chest. 

“Well, if you wouldn’t have those things turned up so loud,” Harry said, plucking one of the earbuds out of her ear. The sounds of the Beatles came pouring out and Ginny shut off the music player.

“I do not have it too loud,” she said defensively. “Where have you been?”

“Out for a run. I had lunch already.” Harry nuzzled Ginny’s neck and kissed her along her jaw, working his way to her ear. “How was study group?”

“Fine. Oh my God, Harry! You need a shower! Ugh!” She pushed him away and Harry laughed.

“What’s the matter? Don’t like my natural scent?” he said with a grin as he pulled off his long-sleeved shirt, wrinkling his nose as he caught a whiff.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. “Away with you.”

Tossing his running shoes into a corner, Harry peeled off his tights. “You could join me. We’d save water that way.” He took the computer off her lap and set it on the bed, pushing her back and kissing her deeply. “I’d let you wash my back,” he whispered, tracing his tongue along her neck, feeling the action of her throat as she swallowed.

“Oh? And what would you do for me?” she asked, scratching her fingernails on his bare shoulders.

“Anything you want,” he growled, pulling down the neck of her tee shirt to get at the hollow of her throat.

“You drive a hard bargain, Potter,” she breathed as she sat up and pushed him away, pulling her shirt off over her head. The sight of her so abruptly shirtless caused Harry’s cock to harden almost painfully. _Blimey, didn’t think she’d actually go for it,_ he thought as he followed her to the bathroom. _I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve, then._

***

_This part must be from not too long after the Thanksgiving chapter. Just a little moment between the two of them, discussing their current situation._

***  
Ginny ran her fingers through his hair and Harry sighed. “You got an owl today.”

“Yeah? Who from?”

“Jacob Green.”

“Ah, the import-export guy. What’d it say?”

“Harry! I don’t read your mail!”

Harry opened one eye and squinted at her. “Why not? I don’t have anything to hide.”

“Well, it’s not addressed to me, is it?” She folded her arms across her chest. “It’s just not proper.”

“Not proper?” Harry sat up and grinned at her, moving his hands back and forth between them. “You do realize that what we’re doing here in this apartment wouldn’t be considered proper by a whole lot of people?”

Ginny gave an annoyed huff and said, “Of course I realize that. Just because I may be doing one improper thing doesn’t mean that I’m going to go snooping in your mail.”

Harry put up his hands in a placating gesture. “All right, all right. I was just joking. What did you do with the letter?”

“I put it on your desk. Want me to get it?”

“Nah. I don’t really want to read it. He seemed a bit of a toff, yeah?”

Ginny nodded. “Yeah. He was nice, but…too nice? You know what I mean?”

“He sort of reminded me of that McLaggan that Hermione used to make Ron jealous.”

“Well, if he helps George get into the US market he might redeem himself.”

“Might.” Harry lay back down

***  
 _Ah, the argument over Harry’s showdown with Matthew. That bit took a couple of tries to get. In this iteration, my husband thought Harry seemed too whiney._

***  
As soon as he Apparated into the flat that evening, Harry knew something was wrong. It might have been the chill in the air from the cold day or it might have been Ginny sitting on the couch with her arms folded, staring straight at him.

“Hey, Gin,” he said as he set his satchel down on the floor next to the desk. “How was your day?”

“How was my day? Let’s see, I spent all day in a busy emergency room with barely a second to sit down. I did get to chat to some people and do you know what I learned?”

Harry had a sinking feeling as he sat on the corner of the desk. “No. What did you learn?”

“I learned that Matthew had a visitor,” Ginny said, her eyes snapping fire at him. “A visitor that warned him I’m to be left alone.”

Keeping a straight face, Harry groaned inwardly. _Can’t fucking count on him to keep his damn mouth shut. Shit._ “Gin—”

“Who do you think you are? What gives you the right?” she asked, cutting him off. “What gives you the right to decide who talks to me and who doesn’t?”

“You said that he—”

“Nothing! Nothing gives you the right! Only I have the right to decide who I will and won’t talk to! We’re not in the middle east somewhere. I don't need your permission to leave the house. I don’t need to be escorted everywhere!”

She was really angry now, Harry saw and he worked at keeping his own calm. “But you said—”

“You think I can’t handle things on my own.” She stood up and started pacing the room, pointing accusingly at him. “It doesn’t matter to you that I’m a fully-grown person. I’m still silly little Ginny, Ron’s baby sister who needs to be rescued and protected! _Oh no, this man is talking to her when she doesn’t want him to! I’d better get right over there and swing my dick at him and let him know that he’s not allowed because Harry Potter says he’s not supposed to!_ Look at me, Harry. I’m not that little girl on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets anymore and it’s about goddamn time you started acting like it!”

Harry took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what—”

Ginny whirled around to face him. “No! That’s exactly what! You can’t let go of that, can you?”

In spite of himself, the spectral vision of Ginny as a young girl, lying helpless on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets swam before him. He shook his head to clear it, focusing on the angry young woman currently in front of him. An angry young woman who had her wand pointed right at him. “Gin, calm down,” he said placatingly, keeping his own hands down and relaxed.

“Don’t you tell me to calm down! Don’t ever tell me what to do again! Don’t try and tell me to behave myself like you’re my older brother or my father!” She was very red in the face and seemed like she was almost ready to cry. Harry had never seen her this upset before.

*note: what is below is from the first draft of this chapter.

don’t have confidence that I can handle my own affairs. You think you need to go and _fix_ everything for me. That I’m not perfectly capable of telling Matthew Hudson off myself. That I need my big, bad Auror boyfriend to go over there and scare the stuffing out of him.”

Harry felt his grasp on his calmness slipping and the took several deep breaths. The last thing he needed to do was get in a shouting match with Ginny. _She’s upset, let her be upset._ “Listen, you said he was being nasty to you and you’d already told him once to leave you alone, but he still bothered you. I was just trying to help.”

“And thanks to your help I’ve had everyone practically tip-toeing around me all day, almost too afraid to say boo to me. If that’s your idea of helping, then no thanks!” She crossed her arms and scowled at him, the brown eyes thunderous.

“I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant to do.”

“I really don’t care what you meant to do. You don’t need to do anything. Mind your own business and let me take care of myself. I don’t need you to rescue me anymore, okay? I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“Fine! Yes, I know you’re not a little girl anymore! Jesus! I hear you complain about that arsehole bothering you and what do you expect me to do? Sit here and fucking take it? I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” Harry heard his own voice rising in response to Ginny’s and he tried unsuccessfully to calm down.

“I expect you to let me handle my business on my own. You’re not one of my brothers or my father! He’s my ex-boyfriend and I have no problem telling him where to go.”

“Well obviously you didn’t do it well enough, did you?” Harry stood up from the desk and crossed his arms across his chest, viciously pleased at the look on Ginny’s face.

“I didn’t do it well enough? I can’t believe you just said that to me.”

“What do you want me to say, Gin? Oh, no you go right ahead. You’ve got it handled. I’m sure he’ll get it after the fourth or fifth time you tell him to leave you alone. I know blokes like that Hudson. I’ve put down blokes like him and I won’t hesitate to do the same to him.” Just the visual of blasting that confident face with a scorching Stupefy was incredibly satisfying to him.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you even dare.”

“Are you seriously protecting him here?”

“I don’t need you to go blasting him into next week, all right? The last thing I need is an assault complaint lodged against you.”“Believe me, no one will never even know what happened to him when I get through.”

Ginny looked at him incredulously. “You really hate him, don’t you?”

“I do. I hate his fucking guts. I hate him for hurting you. I hate him for all the hours and minutes and days he stole from us. I want nothing more than to send him to outer space and I can barely tolerate the fact that he’s here in the same city with us, that he sees you there at the hospital.” These were words Harry had never expected to say, thoughts he’d carried around within himself for years. If someone had asked him what he really felt about the time Ginny had spent with Matthew, he would have shrugged and said he didn’t really care one way or the other, which would have been a complete and utter lie as he’d just demonstrated. Having said them and put them out into the light of day, he felt lighter, almost giddy.

***  
 _This part is from the aftermath of their argument over Matthew and there are two versions. The first one here is written from Harry’s POV and the second is from Ginny’s. Again, I felt this just slowed down the story and made things needlessly complicated. For the record, I don’t remember who Jonathan was supposed to be, or if there was even supposed to be a Jonathan._

_Harry’s POV_  
***  
“You get three guesses and the first two don’t count.”

“Ignatius?”

“Well, their parents who’ve been listening to Ignatius.” Harry sighed and shook his head. “That man needs to be dealt with, but no one will see it.”

Ginny joined him in the kitchen and gave him a hug. “Maybe you should run for council against him.”

Harry pressed his lips against the top of her head and snorted. “Unlikely. Tell me about your day. Last day, yeah?”

Ginny rested her head on his chest. The flat was still cold and his heat felt good. “Yeah, last day. It was fine, nothing too exciting. Had a short chat with Vijay and he tried to hire me again.”

“Was he crushed when you turned him down?”

“Completely. I don’t know if he’ll ever recover.” 

“Any more trouble with…?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“No, that seems to be over with. Vijay never said anything to me, so I guess he either heard about it and dismissed it or didn’t hear about it at all,” Ginny said, taking a step back from Harry. 

“Good.” Harry took another long swallow and Ginny stood, feeling awkward and hating it. She felt the cat rubbing against her leg and bent to pick him up.

“Hello, who’s this?” Harry asked, reaching out to rub the cat behind the ears.

“This is Stuart,” Ginny said, bouncing him in her arms.

“Stuart? You’ve named him already?”

“He came with a name. He’s apparently visiting us for an indeterminate amount of time from Sarah and Archimedes.”

“Did Sarah decide we needed a cat and drop him off?” Harry waved a finger in front of the cat’s mismatched eyes and got a lazy swat for his efforts. 

“No, he was here when I got home. You were just sitting by the door, waiting for me to get home, weren’t you?” she said, addressing Stuart the cat directly and putting him down. “So I Floo called Sarah and she said he just wanders from time to time.”

“All right, then.”

“You don’t mind?” Ginny asked. That awkward feeling was back and she sighed inwardly, turning toward the refrigerator.

“No, I don’t mind. Why would I?”

Ginny shrugged and started pulling out the things she’d bought for the paella recipe Archimedes had sent. “I don’t know. I know you don’t really care for dogs and I’ve never known you to keep a pet.”

“I had Hedwig.”

“That’s true.” Ginny looked at the recipe she’d put on the front of the refrigerator with a magnet. 

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked after several moments of silence.

“Nothing.”

“Gin,” Harry sighed, leaning his hip against the worktop and crossing his arms over his chest. “I feel like you’re not talking to me like you used to. Like you’re holding something back.”

“Well, I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to upset you,” Ginny shrugged, turning to face him. 

“How are you going to upset me?”

“If I mention I saw Matthew in passing or had lunch with Jonathan.”

“Who’s Jonathan?” Harry asked automatically, wincing a split second later.

“See?” 

“I’m sorry, love.” She saw him take a deep breath and stand up straight. “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be around other men or be afraid to tell me about your daily life.”

“I know. I just want you to be happy, I don’t mention some things.”

Harry stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “I can’t be happy if you’re not.” Ginny didn’t respond, just held on to him until she felt him take a deep breath. “This is harder than I thought it would be,” he said quietly.

“What is?”

“Being with someone. With you. Usually, this would be when I’d bow out. Or the girl would get fed up with me and drop me.”

Ginny was quiet for a moment, absorbing this information. “Is that what happened with you and Helena?” She’d never known the full story behind their breakup and she had to admit to herself that she’d always been curious about the demise of his longest relationship.

“More or less. She had been talking quite a lot about a bloke at work and I said a few things about it. Then we got shouty and that was the end of that.” He was quiet again and hugged her tighter. “I thought I’d learned my lesson.”

Ginny snorted and gently knocked her fist against the side of his head. “You do have an exceedingly hard head.” She leaned back from him and looked him in the eye. “Being together with you has been quite an adjustment for me, too. I understand your issues and why you have them and I need you to know that I love you, all right? I don’t love Jonathan and I certainly don’t love Matthew,” she said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Harry nodded and gave her a half-smile in return. “Just promise you won’t keep anything from me, okay? Don’t edit yourself.” He swept a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her temple. 

“Okay.”

***  
 _Same scene, Ginny’s POV._

***  
She sat, petting the cat in front of the fire, feeling some of the tension she’d been carrying leave her. Matthew had been true to his word and the rest of the week at the hospital had been trouble-free with no more whispers or looks thrown in her direction. Amanda Rossi was obviously still not her biggest fan, but Ginny found she was fine with that. Still, as much as she’d enjoyed the opportunity to get back to Healing, she’d forgotten how stressful the hospital environment could be. 

Looking down at the cat, she scratched under his chin. “It’ll be nice to just be one in a crowd again,” she said, imagining the cat was smiling up at her. “Now, when’s Harry going to get home?”

Almost as if she’d Summoned him, Harry appeared in the flat, startling the cat who shot under the bed. “Hey, you,” Ginny said, standing up and brushing white hairs off her lap. “You’re a little later than usual.”

“Sorry, got hung up at work,” Harry said, taking off his tie and putting it away in the closet. 

“What happened?” Ginny frowned. He looked bothered as he shrugged out of his blazer and hung it back up. 

“I heard some kids having an argument. Broke it up and took them to Artemis for him to deal with.” Looking more comfortable in trackies and a tee shirt, he ran his hands through his still-damp hair and sighed. “How was your day?”

“Fine. What sort of argument? It sounds serious if you had to take them to Artemis.” Ginny leaned against the breakfast bar and crossed her arms, watching Harry as he took a beer out of the refrigerator.

“It wasn’t good.” He took a long swallow of beer and looked at her. “I heard a couple of kids calling other kids “Mudbloods”,” he said with a grimace.

“What?” Ginny felt a shock almost down to her toes. “You’re serious?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. I was heading toward the shower after practice and I heard an argument and then…there you go.”

“So what happened?”

“I scared the shit out of them, for one thing,” he said with a smile. “I Disarmed them—they were about to cast on each other—and then asked them where they’d heard the word.”

“How old were they?”

“Younger. Seventh graders and Freshmen, so it’s mostly them parroting what their parents say around the house.”

“Well, it’s awful to think that they're even hearing that sort of thing around the house,” Ginny said with a shudder. 

“Yeah,” Harry said with another moody sip of his beer. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, pulling her close to him. “You haven’t told me about your day. How was your last day before you go back to being a mere student?”

“It was nice,” Ginny said, kissing him on the cheek. “Quiet day in Emergency, had a nice lunch with Vijay. He tried to hire me again.”

“Was he crushed when you turned him down?”

“Completely. I don’t know if he’ll ever recover.” 

“You just leave a wreckage of men, strewn in your wake,” Harry said with a grin.

“Hardly,” Ginny snorted, swatting him on the arm. She felt the cat rubbing against her leg and bent to pick him up.

“Hello, who’s this?” Harry asked, reaching out to rub the cat behind the ears.

“This is Stuart,” Ginny said, bouncing him in her arms.

“Stuart? You’ve named him already?”

“He came with a name. He’s apparently visiting us for an indeterminate amount of time from Sarah and Archimedes.”

“Did Sarah decide we needed a cat and drop him off?” Harry waved a finger in front of the cat’s mismatched eyes and got a lazy grab for his efforts. 

“No, he was here when I got home. You were just sitting by the door, waiting for me to get home, weren’t you?” she said, addressing Stuart the cat directly and putting him down. “So I Floo called Sarah and she said he just wanders from time to time.”

“All right, then.”

“You don’t mind?” Ginny asked, turning toward the refrigerator.

“No, I don’t mind. Why would I?”

Ginny shrugged, looking over the paella recipe Archimedes had sent. “I don’t know. I know you don’t really care for dogs and I’ve never known you to keep a pet.”

“I had Hedwig.”

“That’s true.” Ginny felt a brief stab of guilt that she’d forgotten about the beautiful snowy owl. “Are you going to help me make this or are you just going to stand there and look pretty?”

Harry leaned against the refrigerator, crossing his arms across his chest. “So you’re saying that’s an option?” he asked with a smile. 

“Hm, well if that’s what you’re picking as your option, go stand and look pretty over there,” she said, pointing to the other side of the cooker.

“What are we making?”

“That paella Archimedes sent me the recipe for.” Ginny handed him the recipe and elbowed him out of the way, pulling out the ingredients. “You can either chop up onion or devein shrimp. Your choice.”

“Compelling choices. I’ll do the shrimp.” Harry put on some music and Ginny nodded her head to the sound of the Beatles, signing along to “Magical Mystery Tour”. They worked efficiently together and soon the flat was filled with the delicious scent of saffron. The cat had gotten ahold of a couple of shrimp tails and was batting them across the floor. 

Ginny took a beer out for herself and leaned against the worktop while dinner simmered. “So, what did Artemis have to say about the name-calling?” she asked, refusing to say the word.

“He wasn’t too pleased, that’s for sure.”

“He doesn’t think the same way, does he?”

“Oh, God no. No, if he did, I’d have quit by now.” Harry shook his head, eyes distant. “No, he’s in a tough spot with that. He doesn’t believe it himself, but obviously some of the parents do. He’s going to have to have a chat with them and that’s just going to be awkward.”

“What sort of punishment did he deal out?” Ginny’s eyes flicked to Harry’s right hand, currently holding his beer bottle and she closed her eyes briefly. 

“They’ll have to scrub cauldrons for a week and do any odd jobs Mr Keller needs done. Juanita is in charge of them researching and writing an essay on the history of intolerance in the Wizarding community and how it’s never led to anything good,” Harry said and Ginny saw him unconsciously run a finger over the words scarring the back of his right hand.

Unwilling to dwell on student punishments past or present, she turned her attention to the dish simmering on the burner, giving it a stir with a wooden spoon. “This is almost done. Can you put together the salad?” A few minutes later, they were seated at the breakfast bar, digging into dinner.

“So, what do you think? Is it as good as Archimedes’s?” Ginny asked after her first bite.

“Better,” Harry said with a grin. “So, back to school on Monday, yeah?”

“Yeah.”“You looking forward to it?”

“I am, rather. I’m looking forward to starting my clinical rotation, too. Actually get some hands-on with all of this Muggle stuff.” She ate a few more bites and decided that Harry was right. The paella Archimedes had made them was good, but this was just a bit better. “I’d forgotten how stressful the Emergency room is, too.”

“Did things over there get better?” Harry asked casually. 

“They did. Matthew shut down the gossip, but that Amanda still doesn’t like me. That’s all right, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said with a wince.

“It’s all right. No permanent harm done.” Ginny put her hand on his arm and squeezed. 

***  
 _And another slightly different part of the scene where they have a short conversation regarding Harry’s jealousy._

***  
“That seems appropriate.” Ginny nodded and they both fell silent. She sipped her beer, feeling a strange awkwardness between them. She checked on the simmering pan and then glanced surreptitiously up at Harry, her eyes skittering away from his as they met. 

“So,” Harry said after an uncomfortable moment, “school again on Monday. Looking forward to it?”

“I am. I’ll start my clinic rotation.” Ginny glanced at Harry again and took a deep breath. “Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Now Ginny felt even more awkward and she sighed. “I’m going to be working with new people.”

“Likely.”

“And some of them are going to be men.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said, a teasing smile on his lips and she felt some of the uneasiness between them evaporate. 

Slipping her arms around his waist, she pulled him tightly to her and smiled up at him. “I just need to know if I should warn everyone about you beforehand.”

“That goes without saying,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her gently. “Listen, I know you’ve been careful with what you’ve been talking about at the hospital and I want you to know that you don’t need to be.”

“I don’t want to upset you.”

“You won’t.

***  
 _Here is the first version of the showdown between Harry and the ghost or shade or whatever of Cornelius Maxwell in the Pensieve. Originally, I had it down as a magic duel, but both my husband and I thought the end result was rather lacking. In the end, I figured there was a sword, why not have a good old-fashioned sword fight?_

***  
The figure of Cornelius threw his head back and laughed, literally clutching his belly in both hands. “I don’t doubt you’ll try!” he exclaimed, wiping tears of mirth from his face. Faster than Harry’s eyes could follow, his wand was out and pointed at him and Archimedes.

Reacting purely on instinct, Harry cast a Shield Charm, hearing the chime as it came into contact with the one Archimedes cast. Looking impressed, Cornelius nodded. “Tell me, do wizards still duel in 2007?”

“We do.” Archimedes’s voice was low and he glanced quickly at Harry, a question in his eyes and Harry shrugged.

“Ah, you’re wondering if my magic will affect you here in this place, yes? Will your magic affect me? If you send a Killing Curse at me, will I die? If I use Crucio on you, will it hurt just as terribly?” His grin took on a distinct malevolence as he licked his lips in anticipation. “Will your bodies live on if I kill your spirit in here?”

A thread of fear wrapped itself around Harry’s heart and he felt it beat furiously against his chest, thinking of Ginny, waiting for him in his classroom to return to her. Come back to me. He’d never experienced this before; every other time in the Pensieve he’d been returned to the outside world when the targeted memory had ended, but there was no targeted memory here, only this twisted awareness of a long-dead man.

Briefly closing his eyes, he tried to Apparate but found he could not, remaining steadfastly where he was in this strange, misty not-place. _Occlumency! Gin said she used Occlumency to get the coin out of her head._ Focusing, he closed his mind as tightly as he possibly could, but he continued to see the shade of Cornelius Maxwell smirking in front of him.

“Oh dear, I’m afraid none of your tricks are working, are they?” he said sadly, shaking his head in mock dismay. “You’re here until I allow you not to be and it’s been so very long since I’ve had any visitors.” He moved his wand and a splash of red light exploded onto Harry’s Shield Charm, sending him backwards a step. Archimedes followed him, keeping their shields aligned.

“We need to get out of here,” he said urgently.

“I know. It’s like something is holding us here.” A flurry of colors exploded in front of him and he sensed the charm wobble under the assault. Cornelius was systematically casting hexes and jinxes, testing the boundaries of their shields. Harry yearned to cast something back at him, but didn’t dare drop his shield to do so. _Come on, think! How can we get out of here?_

Recasting his shield in the nick of time, Harry felt a burst of pain emanate from his tattoo and he gasped. _My love, you are brilliant!_ he thought as Archimedes looked at him in concern. “Are you hurt?” he asked, face grim.

“No, Summons! From Gin,” Harry responded, feeling the blessed burning pain ratchet up a notch.

“Can you answer it?”

“I’m damn sure going to try!”

“Do it and then get me out.” Harry gripped his forearm and squeezed tightly. “If you can’t, then you can’t, but destroy that coin!”

“What’s this? You’ve found a way out? We’ll see about that!” Cornelius yelled, face contorted by rage as he redoubled his attacks. 

Feeling that the will keeping him in this strange place generated by the awareness of Cornelius was supplanted by Ginny’s urgent Summon, Harry answered her call. The squeezing, breathless darkness of Apparition lasted the longest he had ever experienced and he had a brief flash of fear that he would be stuck there forever before he suddenly found himself flat on his back, staring up at the bright lights of his classroom gasping for breath.

“Harry? Harry!” Ginny’s panicked voice came to him through a ringing in his ears and he shook his head as if to clear them. 

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, sitting up and pulling his wand out. “Archimedes.” He placed his wand against his tattoo and focused on Summoning the older man with all of the urgency he could muster. A moment later, he appeared also flat on his back and gasping for air. 

“What happened in there? You were gone so long!” Ginny asked, still sounding scared.

Harry helped Archimedes sit up, realizing the ringing in his ears was gone. “All right?” he asked, glad to see him nod, seeming too winded to talk. Ginny knelt down next to him, running her hands over him, checking for injuries and Harry leaned into her touch, pulling her close, breathing deeply of her scent. He was relieved beyond words to be out of the Pensieve.

Hugging him back for several moments, she gently disengaged from his arms to look over Archimedes, checking his pulse. As she did, Harry stood, feeling a bit wobbly on his legs. He looked at the Pensieve and saw the fluid was bubbling and roiling, the pearly iridescence reflecting the colors in the room. The coin was barely visible at the bottom.

“Gin, how long has it been like this?” he asked. In all his experience with the device, he’d never seen it act like this before.

Helping Archimedes stand, Ginny looked at it. “Just a few minutes. It was fine and then all of a sudden it was like it was boiling.”

Archimedes looked at the rioting fluid and raised his eyebrows. “Is it hot?”

“I didn’t see any steam, so I don’t think so,” Ginny said, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “What happened in there?”

“We met Cornelius Maxwell, or rather the bit of him that inhabits that coin,” Harry said, correcting himself at Ginny’s gasp of surprise. “We need to destroy that thing.”

“Be my guest,” Archimedes said, sounding exhausted.

Looking around for the sword, he saw it leaning against the armchair he’d conjured what seemed like days ago and he picked it up, contemplating the roiling surface of the Pensieve. He didn’t want to touch the coin and he didn’t want to touch the fluid and take a chance on being sent back into the Pensieve with the undoubtedly angry Cornelius, so he conjured a pair of grilling tongs.

Clicking them experimentally, Harry raised an eyebrow at Ginny and Archimedes, both of whom looked somewhat bemused at his choice of implement. “Well, here goes,” he said, plunging them in and fishing around for the coin, smiling when he felt it settle into the grasp of the tongs. Carefully, he drew it out, breathing a sigh of relief when the liquid memories in the Pensieve settled down as soon as the coin was out. 

He dropped it onto his desk blotter with a thud and raised the sword, point facing down, aiming for the center of the eagle and shield on the back of the coin. “Wait,” Ginny said, holding up her hand. “Should you do it here? Won’t it make a mess?”

Harry looked at her, blinking several times. “I’m about to destroy a Dark object and you’re concerned about it making a mess on my desk?”

“Well, that diary bled an awful lot. Who knows what this thing is going to do?”

“Point.” Harry picked up the coin in the tongs again. “We’ll do it outside.” He had a brief thought of Ignatius waiting outside for them and he nodded to Archimedes, indicating the door.

Nodding back in understanding, Archimedes went outside, sticking his head back in a moment later. “All clear.”

Outside, the cool air felt refreshing after the atmosphere of the Pensieve and he took a deep breath, glad to find it utterly free of the smell of horse manure. He dropped the coin on the same spot of pavement he’d destroyed the Black Quill and werewolf pelt on. It glowed in the dim outdoor campus lights, looking almost innocent. 

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Stay back and cast a shield, please,” he said, looking at Ginny and Archimedes.

“What about you?” Ginny asked.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, hoping that would be the case. Ginny still looked doubtful, but she didn’t argue, standing with Archimedes and raising her own shield.

Facing the coin, Harry raised the Sword of Gryffindor in both hands, the point of it aiming directly for the shield and eagle once more. He imagined he could see it twitch as he took a deep breath, mentally counting to three before bringing the sword point down in a swift, sure movement.

A deafening shriek split the night and Harry desperately wanted to cover his ears, but didn’t dare let go of the sword just yet as thick, black smoke erupted out of the hole the sword had pierced in the coin. Turning his head away from the smoke, he felt the coin vibrating through the sword, putting Harry in mind of an animal pinned to the ground. The scream continued to rise until it finally reached a pitch nearly beyond human hearing, drilling into his brain and making his breath come short. The greasy, black smoke threatened to envelop him and he held his breath, taking great gulps of air when Ginny used her wand to blow the smoke away from him. 

Slowly, the howl wound down, sounding like a record played at the incorrect speed and the smoke pouring from the coin became less and less. The coin gave a final, spasmodic tremble and lay still. Carefully, Harry pulled the sword up, kicking the coin off the tip of the sword with the toe of his shoe. 

Archimedes approached and squatted down, looking closely at it. The gold no longer looked brand new but now dull and lifeless. A hole pierced it in the exact center of the shield, black lines spreading out from it. “Good aim,” he grunted, grinning up at Harry.

Ginny put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Well done, love.”

Dropping down on his haunches, Harry looked at it, one hand still on the sword. “Shall we test?”

“I couldn’t tell anything, so it’ll have to be you or Ginny,” Archimedes said.

“I’ll do it,” Ginny said bravely, dropping down next to Harry. She was already reaching out for it when he grabbed her hand.

“No, I’ll do it. If something happens, I’ll need you to save me again, yeah?” He nudged her shoulder, glad to see her smile before taking a deep breath. Extending a finger, he brushed it lightly against the edge of the coin, vastly relieved when he felt only cold metal. He picked it up and turned it over, seeing that it was pierced all the way through and handed it to Archimedes. “For your trophy case.”

Archimedes snorted and put it in his pocket, looking down at the circular black scorch mark on the pavement. Harry went back into the classroom and put away the now-quiet Pensieve, double-checking the wards and lock on the cabinet. Putting the sword back in the scabbard, he joined Ginny and Archimedes outside, handing Ginny her first aid tote. He locked his classroom door and took Ginny’s hand in his.

He saw someone had scoured away the black mark and he felt a little bit sorry for that particular patch of pavement. It had suffered quite a bit of abuse since he’d come here to teach. Feeling as if he’d been awake for twenty-four hours, he walked slowly off campus, turning over the night’s events in his mind. He foresaw many long conversations with Archimedes and maybe even some time spent with Dumbledore’s portrait. 

Once they were outside of the school’s wards, Harry and Archimedes shook hands. “Let me know if you hear anything, all right?” Harry said. 

“Of course. Just so you know, there is an Auror in the lobby of the St Regis at all hours. As far as I know, Weatherbee doesn’t know where you’re staying, but it never hurts to be safe.”

“Thank you. I am going go home now and sleep for a week.”

“What about work on Monday?” Ginny asked.

“I’ll get a sub. Gilderoy Lockheart should be available, right?”

“Prat,” she said, punching his shoulder affectionately.

***

_This last outtake is a more … confrontational confrontation between Harry and Ron when he shows up unannounced at their place after having received a Howler from Molly. My reasoning behind this scene was that there’s a situation where Harry has just gone through a very bad scare with Ginny and he’s understandably upset and angry. Ron is upset and angry at what he views as a fundamental failure by his best friend to keep his sister safe. What happens when two men accustomed to violence are frightened and angry? They have a fist fight, of course. I ended up taking it out after feedback that it seemed too out of character for the both of them and was frankly rather gratuitous._

***

“Didn’t I tell you to leave that shit alone? At Christmas? I fucking told you it wasn’t your fucking problem, yeah? I told you not to get Ginny involved and here you go, dragging her around on another one of your bloody fucking crusades!” Ron said hotly, leaning forward, both hands flat on the granite countertop.

“Oh, fuck you! I didn’t drag her anywhere and you know goddamned well I didn’t!” Harry hissed, glancing toward the open bedroom door. “You know bloody well that she never listens to anyone! Never has, never will!”

“How can she when she has you as an example? Harry Fucking Potter. Chosen One. Never listened to anyone. Never listened to his own friends. You won’t be satisfied until she ends up like Sirius.” Harry felt a sick swoop in his gut at Ron’s words. Unbidden, he saw Sirius fall through that strange, veiled archway once more and closed his eyes, hoping to banish the vision. 

“You fucking take that back! You don’t talk about Sirius! I would never do that to Gin!”

“You nearly fucking did! You’re completely blind, mate! You can’t go gallivanting off after shit like this anymore! When are you going to get it through your thick fucking skull?” Ron’s face was flooded with red, his eyes snapping blue fire at him and Harry realized they were both shouting.

“Are we going to do this?” he asked, his body thrumming with adrenaline. He was spoiling for a fight and had wanted to hit something ever since he knew Ginny was most likely going to be all right.

“You bet your arse we are,” Ron said, standing up and taking off his wedding ring. 

“Not here. I don’t want to wake her up.” Harry took off his glasses and set them on the counter.

“Where then?”

“You remember the bonfire? There,” he said at Ron’s nod before he Apparated out of the condo, coming back on the windswept Ocean Beach. A moment later Ron appeared and Harry took a quick look around. It was midmorning and this section of the beach was currently deserted. He looked back at Ron and barely had time to set his feet before Ron launched himself at him, trying to knock him down into the sand with his shoulder.

Barely sidestepping him in time, Harry tried unsuccessfully to trip him as Ron passed, whirling quickly and getting his hands up defensively before Harry could strike. The two eyed each other, taking their measure as they slowly circled each other in the sand. Harry knew that Ron was deceptively fast, his height and broad shoulders making him only look slow. 

Distracted by a seagull out of the corner of his eye, Ron tagged him hard on his right shoulder, making him grunt and take a step back. “You’ve gone soft, Potter,” Ron taunted. “Hanging around children all day hasn’t done you any good.”

Harry felt his hackles rise at the taunt and he squashed the urge to rush at Ron with his fists flying. He knew that Ron’s patience would eventually wear thin; he liked to end things quickly and decisively and he wasn’t about to hand him a victory. “I’m sure sitting on your arse all day in class hasn’t been exactly good for you, either,” he retorted.

They continued to circle, testing each other, their grunts as they landed blows on each other sounding over the wind and crashing waves. As he’d thought, Ron grew tired of the circling and finally made a serious move, landing painful hits on Harry’s kidneys in an effort to drive him down into the sand. Harry set his feet and pushed back, driving his shoulder into Ron and forcing him away from him, leaving him open enough for Harry to land a hard hit on his cheek, snapping his head back. 

Breaking apart, Harry breathed shallowly from the pain in his ribs, watching as Ron ran his tongue along his cheek and spat out a wad of bloody spit. “Loosen any teeth for you, Weasley?” Harry asked, his blood singing in his veins. He would have much rather been hitting someone else, but Ron would do in a pinch.

Ron merely grunted, shoving into him when Harry stepped close to throw another punch aimed at his face. Harry put his hands together and struck viciously at the back of Ron’s head as he toppled over, following up with a hard kick to his midsection to get out from underneath him. It was as if that was the signal to start the fight in earnest and Harry’s world shrank down to him and Ron, fighting on the beach, each trying to inflict as much damage on the other as they could.

One eye was swollen shut and he was bleeding freely from a cut lip when he felt the burn in his tattoo. Ron wasn’t much better off with a blossoming black eye and a broken nose, a long scrape down one side of his face. His ribs ached with every breath he took and Ron used his momentary distraction to land a blow straight into his gut, almost knocking the wind out of him.

The burn in his tattoo intensified and he roughly shoved Ron away. “Gin,” he wheezed, “Summons.” Answering the urgent call, he Apparated away, leaving Ron gaping open-mouthed on the beach.

Appearing back in the condo, Harry grabbed his glasses and put them on, hurrying into the bedroom where Ginny was calling for him. “I’m here, I’m here,” he said, surprised to see her sitting up.

“What happened to you? Were you attacked? Harry—” she said, eyes wide and Harry knew that Ron must have done a number on him.

“It’s nothing, love, it’s fine. What do you need?” Harry tried to sound as soothing as possible, a task made more difficult by the split lip. 

“Where were you? Harry, what happened? I woke up and you weren’t here.” She stroked her thumb against his cheek and he winced as she pressed on a bruise he didn’t realize he had. 

“Harry! Open this goddamned door and let me in right fucking now!” Ron bellowed from the hallway.

“Is that Ron?” Ginny asked incredulously.

“Yeah. Hold on, all right?” Harry ran from the bedroom to the front door, flinging it open so hard it hit the wall. “Get the fuck in here and shut up,” he said, dragging Ron into the condo.

“Ron?” Ginny called from the bedroom, “what are you doing here?”

“Mum asked me to come,” he called back, shoving Harry with his shoulder as he walked past. Shaking his head, Harry looked out into the hallway to see if anyone had noticed Ron’s yelling, breathing a sigh of relief when the hallway was clear. 

He went into the bedroom, leaning against the doorway as he watched Ginny run her hands over Ron’s face, her own face aghast. “What have you been doing? What are you doing here? Where’s Hermione?”

“Shh,” Ron murmured, gathering her into a tight hug, rocking from side to side for several moments. “I’m all right. Me and Harry had a few things to work out, yeah?” Ginny’s eyes shot to him and he shrugged, gingerly touching his lip. “Listen, Mum’s clock had you at ‘mortal peril’ and she sent me to check on you.”

“I’m fine! Everything’s fine!” Ginny said brightly, holding her brother’s hands in hers.

“I told him,” Harry said from the doorway.

“Oh. Well, no wonder you both look like that.” Ginny looked down at the comforter, avoiding her brother’s gaze. “Am I in trouble?” she asked in a small voice.

“Well, we’re going to have a conversation about that tattoo of yours, but no, you’re not in trouble.” He put his finger under her chin, causing her to look back up at him. “Mum saw your hand go to mortal peril and just about came unglued. Sent me a Howler up to Hogwarts and everything, telling me I had to come and make sure you were all right.”

“How long can you stay?”

“As long as you want me to,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. 

“What about Hermione?” Ginny asked, cutting her eyes to Harry over her brother’s shoulder.

“She’s busy with NEWTs and OWLs, so she’s not able to get away.”

“Oh!” Ginny gasped. “My study group! What time is it?”

“It’s almost noon, love. You’ve missed it already,” Harry said gently, amazed that she could even be thinking of a study group right now.

“Ben must be so worried! Harry, can you …?”

“I’ll take care of it, Gin. I need to do a shop anyway.

***  
 _And there you go! I hope you enjoyed these alternative scenes. I always find it interesting to see what doesn’t make it in and why. Thanks for reading!_


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